The onset of autumn in the Northeast brings with it a certain sense of urgency. For an outdoor enthusiast the opportunities are endless. There are only so many hours in the day and even those are dwindling. Everything seems to move a bit faster, as if it were some kind of primal nesting ritual. Each spare moment needs to be capitalized on and this does not necessarily mean actually fishing. Lately I have become more of a guest in the outdoors instead of an infiltrator. Not so focused on catching fish but more interested on how they behave in relation to their natural world. Observation is the key. In doing so, I’ve come away with a substantial amount of understanding and when applied properly with rod and reel, it yields results.This session was an exercise in frustration. The pool was five feet deep. Salmon were rolling and porposing everywhere. You could barely make out their silhouettes against the river bottom. There were a few hen fish cutting redds in the tail-out with several males waiting eagerly to spray their eggs with milt. Although tempting, I was more interested in the opportunistic brown trout that were looking for a high protein meal. Picking your way through a pod of 36” salmon without tangling with them is tricky. You have to be careful with your casts and mends. Your indicator is your best friend in this situation. You can keep your fly above the spawning fish by taking a few casts, adjusting it to the depth, current speed of the water and how much line you put over them. If all goes well your fly will drop into the hot spot just downstream of the spawners nearly clipping their tail fin.If the trout are actively feeding on eggs look carefully and you will see their classic nymphing posture. The ivory white mouth or the flash of their side gives them away if your eyes are tuned in. You may have to sacrifice some time to find the rhythm of your surroundings but as you see the rewards are well worth it.
Love the Salmon this time of year! Great fish. I only wish I had come over this weekend! Oh well
You the man, All geared up for this weekend as I will be standing there this Saturday. I think I recognise that run…haha
dave, sweeet fish and great fish-tale .. i look forward to another great steelhead season fly fishing with you throughout the great lakes .. every year, i learn more and more locations, tactics and every year .. the more i learn .. i realize how little i really know … the great lakes are amazing bodies of water. so vast and awe inspiring .. and really and truly, fish like that, in large numbers can only flourish in huge waters with huge food supplies and other than an ocean and the great lakes .. there are really no other bodies of water capable of producing such magnificent trout/salmon species … too often fly fishermen focus too much on just the salmon river … in the big scheme of things the salmon river itself is just .000000000000000000000000001% of what is available …. there are thousands of rivers and tribs and so much more out there and that is just lake ontario!!!! seriously, an angler could spend a lifetime learning just one quadrant of one lake and still not know it all … with that said, it is fun to then consider all of the fishable water in the other great lakes …… sooo much water, so little time .. wish i had 10 lives.
to whom it may concern — hey if there is any fly fishermen out ther who are interested in fly fishing lake ontario tribs (salmon river, etc…) you should check out whippa’s ((dave severson’s) site …. dave and i met a few years back on some trib off lake ontario and since then we have become best of friends … dave and his right hand man (kranefly/nate) … are born and raised in the area .. and have spent a lifetime fly fishing the great lakes…. dave’s style is this … get away from the crowds, NO DRIFT BOAT, fish where the fish are (sometiemes that is salmon river but often it is not) Dave knows hundreds of creeks and tribs and when to fish them for what species (steelhead, brown trout, salmon) … dave and kranefly/nate are soley responsible for introducing me and my other close fly fishing buddies to some amazing waters and amazing drifts … we fish with very little weight and never, ever interested in foul hooking fish … we typically don’t run chuck and duck systems with a ton of lead .. instead we run indicators with very little if any tin split shot….
so – my point is this … if you are looking for a quality salmon river fly fishing experience .. that quite possibly might not include actually fly fishing on the salmon river … contact dave .. he is a licensed new york guide and only fly fishes … the problem for him is that he likes to fish more than guide .. if nothing else .. check out the quality fly fishing only site that he runs …. be sure to check the forums for news and tactics discussions and a good group of members … mostly steelhead junkies …Salmon River Specialists
That is a slab and a half. I too will be there Saturday and hope to tie into a couple of those myself.
Sweet Fish Whip….Looking forward to fishing with you guys soon.
Man that is one stout brown. Looks like he’s eaten his fair share. Nice fish
That’s one amazing fish!
Man I have to make the trip out to NY this fall soon…
Boz, Anytime you are ready, the offer still stands. Just give me a heads up a little in advance.
sweet Brown whippa, nice story. Is November a good month to come out?, give me a call or pm me.
Whippa,
Excellent brown.
Thats a sick specimin Whip. Spots the size of nickles. What pattern did he slam? Thanks for warming up that run for me on Columbus day. I slayed my first Chromer of the season there Tuesday. 32” screamer!
Kranes, stop wathing the hog swim away and pick Whips pocket. hahaha
Nice work guys
Sick fish! I want one.